Tonya

Why relevant? Until I saw this movie, in my point of view Tonya Harding was a cheat and a lowlife and this was entirely based on the media coverage of the events in 1994. Having seen the movie I feel ashamed about how easily I judged her and I realised I have to be way more careful in forming my opinion about people.

After seeing the preview I knew I would love this. Margot Robbie and Allison Janney were both impressive. I have to say, I was really surprised by Robbie! I checked out a few interviews with the real Tonya and her mother. Seems like Robbie and Janney really nailed them.

I must have been at a different movie than those who did not like it. The story is well written, the acting was excellent and the twist in the way the story is delivered makes for a memorable event. At certain points when Tonya speaks to the audience she speaks right to you. A great story to get lost in and I was not really interested in seeing this when I went into the theater.

I was going to make a list of people who made extraordinary things during the same period that Tonya Harding monopolized the headlines but then I thought it was a pointless exercise. Charles Manson will always be more famous, much more than Sharon Tate. That's the world we live in or maybe it always was. The sadness verging on horror of of the Tonya Harding story will win, fascination wise, than any kind of kindness from anyone anywhere. Now that out of my system let me say that I Tonya is an entertaining harrowing tale directed by Craig Gillespie and his extraordinary cinematographer Nicholas Karakatsanis with, clearly, Martin Scorsese in their minds and hearts. Margot Robbie is terrific and Sebastian Stan as the husband from hell, superb but it's Allison Janney that creates a character that is impossible to take and irresistible at the same time. She is spectacular. So, that's more than enough to recommend I Tonya but if the Tabloid Times is something you subscribe I will highly recommend Gus Van Sant's To Die For and Michael Ritchie's made for television The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom.

The rollercoaster of American skater Tonya Harding, a super talented and successful skater, who will always be known for one incident in particular.

What an absolutely first class movie this was, prior to this I knew nothing about Tonya Harding, after watching this I felt like I'd learned a lot, and been thoroughly entertained, it even encouraged me to seek out videos of her, visually, they got it spot on, from what I've seen of her, they also got her story spot on.

An immaculate production, they got the era absolutely spot on, and it was out together in such a way, that it absolute flies by, it's so well paced.

It's funny, it's moving, it's quite shocking, I won't give too much away about the incident, and I won't dwell on it too much, but it really is a shocking moment, one which will leave you speechless.

Margot Robbie delivers an award winning performance, I know she's an actress, and will have no doubt learned how to perform all number of accents, but she absolutely nails it. I had no idea that Robbie could skate, clearly she could.

Allison Janney and the whole cast were terrific. That mother of Tonya's was quite something.

9/10.